Discussion

Lectures – Husain Abdul Sattar – Lease on LifeA lease on life
A great lecture on squeezing every opportunity to do good and reap rewards.

Br. Shabir – Health and Well Being interview on CTS show “Let the Quran Speak” (9 minutes)

Br Shabir explains why the bodies and minds we have need to be kept healthy and clean. He analyzes Islamic resources that focus upon physical and mental conditions and why it is an important practice within the religion.

Success Tip

Upcoming Action

For Sisters By Sisters Fashion Show
Fashion Show A shocking number of Muslim sisters in Ottawa are unaware of the many locations throughout the city where they can buy Islamic clothing. An opportunity will arise June 20 for Ottawa’s Muslimaat to attend a fashion show which will showcase Islamic wear from shops around the city.
For Sisters By Sisters Fashion Show will take place at Jim Durrell Complex, 1265 Walkley Road, from 3-6 pm, June 20. We ask that only Muslim women attend, meaning no children under the age of fourteen.

There will be door prizes and refreshments offered, and tickets are $10.

Please call sister Fatimah at 613-225-4528 for more information or for advance tickets.

Know Your Body Info Session

Come and learn the miracles and mysteries of one of Allah’s most incredible creations………YOU!

Host: Omar (Green Kufi)

Quran:

Discussion:

Sara Mohamed may not be real. But does it really matter?

We have heard from some that Sarah Mohamed may not even be a real person. Jennifer Green, senior writer of the Ottawa Citizen, said the paper had come to that conclusion and Sarah has never stepped forward to refute that allegation. This may simply be a result of “Sarah” being concern to identify herself publicly. While others have said that in fact she is a real person and may be simply hiding her identity.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t really matter either way. Going to the citizen was not the best choice, nor the wisest. But then again we are talking about a “distressed youth”.
So my question is; what to do now? We either accept what is in place, and live with it until things get better over time and people get into comfort zones, and things run smoothly. But is that fair? What about these youth who feel left out? How long do they have to wait to be heard and how long until they feel some connection to the mosque? How long until the antics and unilateral decision a few will affect the community at large?
As we said yesterday Muslims should be taking action. For the benefit of our community, our youth, and our responsibility of being a powerful voice for the Canadian Muslim across the country. Vote if you have the opportunity, become a member of the OMA, and don’t just complain. Pick up a pen to vote, right an email, or start painting the walls. But don’t sit back and whine.

On the topic of doing something useful for the community:

Habitat for Humanity inter-faith build:

Back in October a Muslim family broke ground with establishing their new home with the help of Habitat for Humanity.
Well, there is some more good new on this. If you’ve ever wanted to have your try at building a house or simply wanted to give back to your community this next project is for you.
Habitat for Humanity is planing to have a faith-build where people from different faith participate to help out the needy of the community to establish a home. The beautiful thing about this is that it is a contribution of the family, the community, interested businesses, and you to help out. What’s even cooler than all of this is that the home is sold to the family at well bellow cost, and with an (brace yourself for this…) interest free loan!
That makes this home have more barakah, and be more halal than many of the homes we live in.
Out of 30 homes established in Ottawa, 5 house Muslim families.
So, rally your local Masjid to come up with the funds to send five or ten people to help build one of these homes and really contribute to building a community. If you are interested and need some guidance or help checkout salamottawa.ca/about/communityprojects/h4h/ or contact us at community_outreach [@] salamottawa.ca.

Success Tip

Community News:

George Galloway to speak in Ottawa in spite of the ban on his entry to Canada.

Report from the Ottawa Peace Assembly
[Canadian Press] TORONTO – A court decision Monday upholding a ban on George Galloway from entering the country amid allegations he engaged in terrorist acts will see the British MP deliver speeches to Canadian audiences via a live video link from New York.
Following the Federal Court ruling, organizers of Galloway’s now aborted speaking tour said the maverick politician would not attempt to enter Canada.
“We’re not interested in doing anything illegal whatsoever,” said James Clark, a peace activist and one of the speaking tour’s organizers.
“Our expectations were such that we were already implementing Plan B, which was to make sure that he can still deliver the speech from a live broadcast.”
Galloway had been set to visit Toronto on Monday, the first of four scheduled speaking engagements in Canada.
The Canada Border Services Agency advised Galloway, in a letter dated March 20, that he had been deemed inadmissible to Canada on the grounds he allegedly engaged in terrorist activities… [see link for removed text]However, Justice Luc Martineau ruled Monday he was not in a position to allow Galloway into the country although he did say there were “serious issues to be tried” if the judicial review occurs.“The arguments raised by the applicants are not frivolous or vexatious,” Martineau ruled. “However, a proper factual record and the benefit of full legal argument . . . are lacking at the present time.”
The decision represented a “partial victory” in that the court did recognize there was a serious issue at stake, Clark said.“We want to pursue and examine all the questions that have come up about how and why the (border agency) preemptorily issued this ruling of inadmissibility to Mr. Galloway,” Clark said.
Supporters were also concerned about alleged political interference from Ottawa in light of comments by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, Clark said.
Kenney has said he did not ask the border agency to rule on Galloway’s admissibility, but would not use his ministerial power to overturn their decision.Galloway planned to deliver his speeches to Toronto, Mississauga, Ont., Montreal and Ottawa this week from a studio in New York City.
In the letter to Galloway, the government said he had given $45,000 to Hamas, which is a banned terrorist organization in Canada.
Under Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Act, it is an offence to knowingly participate in or contribute to any activity of a terrorist group.
His supporters say Galloway had given money to the head of the government in Gaza but not to the head of Hamas, even though they are the same person.Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie Farber said the fact Galloway would still broadcast what he had to say showed that free speech was not at stake.http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gU2uqE_jfXZDlngIUha7WuKzhd3w

WORLDPRESSNETWORK – 27 March 2009
George Galloway will be on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, Canada’s award-winning late-night TV talk show, on Monday, March 30. Ccatch the interview after it airs on The Hour [Video:http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=728665230]

Host: Omar (Mafro)

Quran:

ArRa’d [ch. 13 v. 5-11 | Recited by Abdullah Basfar -عبد الله بن علي بصفر ]“Verily Allah will never change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)” (3:37 – 8:24)http://flashquran.com/quran_sound/013.mp3

Discussion:

The Double Standard of Freedom of Speech when it comes to Zionism (NOT Anti-Semitism). “Call it what it is.”
Both Carleton University and the University of Ottawa have banned a poster for the Israeli Apartheid Week. The reality is, just as we’ve heard many a Rabi, an Israeli, and researcher that Zionism piggy backs on the back of Judaism in order to cowardly hide behind anti-semitism whenever the actions of the Zionist Israeli machine are criticized. [Call it what it is. | The Proud Islamist]http://salamottawaforum.googlepages.com/trust_INSERT.mp3You don’t have to listen to Salam Ottawa. Sure we’re the only Muslim Radio Broadcast in Ottawa, but there are far more reliable sources about Islam and Muslims on the air waves.
Why bother Listening to, let alone supporting the only Muslim radio broadcast in Ottawa when you have such great options like CFRA’s Lowell Green. Such a level minded, educated, and fair talk show host, with pounds of reason at every corner of his commentary. [Radio host Lowell Green chastised for ‘abusive’ remarks about Muslims | OttawaCitizen]

Community News:

Masha’Allah, Ottawa Muslims are really getting their act together as of late:
Imam Zaid Shakir’s event was a full house, with entertainment that is worthy of a paid ticket event. And a first of its kind in Ottawa, as a collaboration between the UofO MSA, and the Revival Series from Reviving the Islamic Spirit. The Event really showcased the level of professionalism that the MSA, and quite generally, the Muslims of Ottawa are capable of. Imam Zaid Shakir rarely disappoints, and the ideas he researched and presented at the event titled, “Can We Make Islam Relevant in the 21st Century? Yes We Can!”, were brilliant and quite worthy of a 21st century intellectual discussion. A discussion which we really need to follow up with, and perhaps will be a focus of one of our shows in the near future, insh’Allah.

Nasheed:

☆ Green Kufi’s “Greening Muslims”

Here’s a tip that is easy, good, will save you money, save on energy, and with the right intention gain you rewards from Allah.Unplug. Yup, unplug. I don’t mean unplug from the hectic daily life (which would also be good for you on many levels), I mean unplug your “stuff”. Do it know before he stops you. Who? The phantom of course!
You’ve got a phantom in your house. If you’ve got any electrical device in your home it is using your electricity with out you knowing it. “Duh”, you say. “It’s an electrical device. Of course it uses electricity. That’s how it works.”
I bet you didn’t know that it uses electricity even when you’re not using it. That’s right. Just having you’re devices plugged in draws electricity form the circuit. This is called “Phantom Power”. Electrical current that continuously flows through your devices even when you are not using them. Ask yourself, “how often do I use my printer, scanner, fax” (do people really still use faxes?). How about your cellphone charger you keep in the wall once you’re done charging.
“Okay, Okay, I’m guilty.” Here’s what you need to do:☆ Use a power bar with an off switch to plug all the devices that you will not be using very frequently (e.g., cellphone charger, fax [really? Still got it?], scanner, etc) and unplug, or hit the power switch when you are not using them.☆ Your printer, scanner, and many other devices have a master power switch, keep it turned off until you need it.☆ As for your TV, DVD player, PVR, Cable Box, etc, or anything that stays plugged in over night (up to 10hrs/day) without every being needed or used: plug them into an electrical timer, and set it to cut off the power during the hours that you will not need or use them. E.g., over night, or while you’re at school or work, etc.
These tips will save you from the Evil Dreaded Phantom Power, and save you some dough so you can donate to Salam Ottawa. Enjoy you newly found wealth. Keeping on greening, Muslims.

“What do I do” you say. Unplug. It’s that simple. Plus, you could reduce your electric bill by 10 percent a year.

Muslim Global News

Imam Siraj Wahhaj Patient in the face of his affliction:
For more than 30 years Imam Siraj has traveled extensively at the invitation of other Muslim leaders and organizers in the U.S. and abroad. He freely and passionately shares his love and knowledge of Islam -often booking back-to-back speaking engagements on a weekly basis. There is no doubt that his demanding schedule factored into the development of his health condition. As such, it has become paramount for him to make important lifestyle changes, which includes taking a sabbatical from some of his responsibilities, in order to balance his life and improve his overall health.

Imam Siraj’s Letter:
As Salamu Alaikum, Dear Brothers and Sisters!

It is well known now that I have been suffering from hypertension. Al Hamdulillah, I have been working with it for a while now, and insha’Allah it’s pretty much under control. As a result of being thoroughly checked by the competent doctors in Atlanta , I have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Al Hamdulillah, inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun. (All Praise is for Allah. Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.)

My diagnosis is not as bad as it sounds on the surface. Many men have been cured from prostate cancer. My doctors are very optimistic about my cure, and so am I. Insha’Allah the treatment should last about two months. But you and I know that the cure is in the Hands of Allah. If Allah heals me, I will be very grateful. If Allah doesn’t heal me, then I will be patient and happily accept my fate. This is the way of the Believers. I am looking forward to full recovery and getting back to work in the not-too-distant future, insha’Allah.

Many people will ask the question, what can we do? Don’t waste your time feeling sorry for me. Make du’a. But don’t just make du’a for me. There are a lot of Muslims, men and women, with cancer (and other diseases). Make du’a for them also. There are so many among the elderly, who need our help, make du’a for them. There are so many Muslims who have lost their jobs, lost their homes, make du’a for them! Beyond the prayers, go visit the sick, those in prison, and others in need.

Get involved more with Islamic work. Support organizations like MANA, ISNA, ICNA, MAS, CAIR, SIFCA, the community in association with Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, the community of Imam Jamil Al Amin, etc. Support good brothers and sisters, like Mauri’ Saalakhan of the Peace and Justice Foundation. Support Islamic education and schools. If you want to help Imam Siraj, then help support his Masjid, Masjid At-Taqwa, in Brooklyn, New York and all the other struggling Masjids throughout America.

Every challenge we face in life presents us with many opportunities for growth. With a heightened awareness and sensitivity about health-related issues, I will feel better when we, as an ummah, learn more about our health. We have to be very careful about the foods we consume! I urge all of us to cultivate healthy appetites such that we begin to love and crave foods that are good FOR us and eliminate foods that are not. I intend with Allah’s help to share information with you in the coming weeks about our health.

On behalf of MANA, I encourage you to lend your support to our growing Organization. Every MANA project is structured to strengthen American Muslim communities. The SHARE Centers, Healthy Marriage Initiative, Community Reentry Program, and Healing and Reconciliation Project all need input and active service urgently. Please contact the MANA office to find out more and look for regular updates in our newsletters, insha’Allah.

In closing, I am humbled and very thankful for all the prayers, and well wishes of the Muslims, and am very appreciative for all the help extended to me and my family in the past. Alhamdulillah! I am also overwhelmed with gratitude that a number of you want to lend financial support, and have asked how you can do that.

Online donations can be made here, or feel free to correspond with me directly at Siraj Wahhaj, P.O. Box 312264, Atlanta, GA 31131.

Thank you kindly. May Allah guide and protect us all.
Your brother in faith,
Imam Siraj Wahhaj
Special Donation For IMAM SIRAJ WAHHAJ
please visitMUSLIMMATTERS.ORG
TO FIND OUT HOW TO DONATE.Go back to the top

Host: Omar (Mafro)

Discussion:

Don’t forget Sadaqa food bank:http://salamottawaforum.googlepages.com/SO_jan27_1_SFB.mp3
The Sadaqa Food Bank, located on 447 Catherine Street, is in need of your assistance. There are close to 100 families who rely on SFB to supplement their grocery needs on a monthly basis. At this time of the year donations of food and money decrease yet the demands continue to grow.

Please remember the less fortunate amoungst us and give generously in cash or food donations. Remember the following hadeeth:

Ibn `Umar (May Allah bepleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “A Muslim is a brother of (another) Muslim, he neither wrongs him nor does hand him over to one who does him wrong. If anyone fulfills his brother’s needs, Allah will fulfill his needs; if one relieves a Muslim of his troubles, Allah will relieve his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and if anyone covers up a Muslim (his sins), Allah will cover him up (his sins) on the Resurrection Day”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

For more details regarding how you can help please give us a call at (613) 680-5679 or visit us online at: www.sadaqafoodbankottawa.orgA week with Obama:http://salamottawaforum.googlepages.com/SO_jan27_2_OBAMAw1.mp3
Exactly one week has past since the newly sworn in president of the United States took office. What has happened in that time?
Well, some good, some not so good. First off, and I think something that is rather encouraging is that Obama has issue a letter anchoring his intent to close Guantanamo Bay’s Prison and all other secret CIA prisons. He’s also being called the first president in the 21st century to act like a president in the 21st century. This is likely refering to his use on the “Internets” and “Blackberries” that Bush was trying to tell us all about back when he was president. But we must echo the call of Tariq Ramadan when he said we shouldn’t be naiive in thinking that Obama will be the be all and end all of the ailments of North America and the world. Already we see Obama following suite on unwarented wiretapping. You’ve got to wonder if he’s ok with taking the liberties and rights to confidentiality of his own people, that perhaps the rest of the world shouldn’t let out all their breath in their sighs of relief. Not to mention…http://salamottawaforum.googlepages.com/SO_jan27_3_ContactUs_whisper.mp3

Muslims and Technology: What will the Nortel down fall bring?http://salamottawaforum.googlepages.com/SO_jan27_4_MuslimTech_nasheed.mp3
Ottawa is home to one of the largest tech companies in Canada. Nortel, also the largest privet employer in Ottawa, recently filed for bankruptcy protection, which means there is going to be some difficult times for a lot of disenfranchised employees of the once tech giant. Many of the employees of Nortel are Muslims. Very talented and well educated Muslims who have bothcontributed and gained a treasure trove of intellectual property over the many years that they haveworked with the company. Obviously there is little that will do to help Muslims in particular in this crisis, amongst their peers. But perhaps that is exactly what we should be looking at.
Perhaps we should be asking questions like: what do Muslims do with their knowledge and intellectual property, which they’ve developed throughout their careers? It seems that Muslims, especially in North America, tend to lean heavily towards being employees. They execute the commands and directions of their bosses and employers with little ingenuity, or creative contributions.Are Muslims less educated? Less informed? Or less talented than the rest of the populations? I don’t thinks so. I think it is a lack of motivation and a lack of interest.

Many may say, “Well, it’s in the Hands of Allah what I do.” While that is true, the reality is also that Allah created us with the ability to think, created, invent, manipulate, and he created for us the Earth as a means to propagate and grow. Additionally, Allah and his messenger (peace be upon him) have told us that “Allah loves it, that if one of [us] works on something that [we] perfect it”. And that we must take the proper precautions and then rely on Allah for the rest. And that “the hand that gives is better [in the sight of Allah] than the hand that receives.”So where are Muslims now in terms of their technological contributions?

Hardware and software:
Many of us have already used some form of technology in our Islamic lives. From the basics of using our phones, email, or the internet to share and look up information about Islam and Muslims, to downloading software that reminds us of the prayer times.
Some of us may also be aware of some dedicated hardware that has been around for a number of years and that we see in many of the conferences and bazaars, and some Muslim book shops. For example, there is the line of digital Qur’an pocket players, and readers from Digi Koran. There are over a dozen of these devices ranging from simple yet functional to advanced and complicated. Prices also range from affordable (you get what you pay for) to expensive (high quality). They even have gift-reasonable prices (DVD’s, Children’s toys, etc. for under $20). Some of their products are even cool, like their CQ4H2 IQRAA Color, Featuring a very bright, impossibly thin OLED. Organic Light Emitting Displays, a technology that allows display panels to be very bright and vibrant, yet be paper thin, is not even available in many devices out right now amongst main stream gadgets. And Judging for the specifications of this device, it looks a lot more feature packed than a lot of mp3/mp4 players out there right now (ie. iPod, Zune, Creative Zen, etc). Other products are a bit out there, and interesting, like their talking pen. One thing that is truly impressive is their slogan of “Focus on the Future”. And from the looks of things in their product line, it seems like they are moving in that direction.Integration and utilization:http://salamottawaforum.googlepages.com/SO_jan27_5_MuslimTech_Almaghrib96bs.mp3
Technology doesn’t have to always be entirely invented by Muslims, or marketed by a Muslim company. In many cases all we need to shift ourselves into this century is to utilize some of the technology that is already available and put it to good, productive use.
One company that has impressed me with it’s forward thinking and use of the latest trends in tech and marketing is non-other than our local Almaghrib Institute. They’ve taken some serious steps to making the task of gaining knowledge, easy, available, exciting, interesting, and quite simply put, cool.
From their use of online forums, which are rarely paralleled with such frequency of visitors and contributors, yet are organized and of such high quality that they stand out as an entity on their own. To their advanced use and integration of multi-media in their classes, in their marketing, in their outreach and even in their community work.
Last week, AlMaghrib hosted one of its Ilminars (think: Ilm (knowledge) + seminar) and dedicated it to raising funds for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. By targeting the onlinemasses of Muslims and cooperating with Islamic Relief, they were able to raise close to four times their target of $55,000. In the span of a couple of hours, AlMaghrib along with Islamic Relief were able to raise over $200,000.
The concept is not difficult, or complicated. They simply made use of readily available media and resources to create a functional and captivation interface where people are compelled to visit, return, and contribute. This seems to be the philosophy that AlMagrhib is following in terms of the look and feel of this revolutionary educational institute. And I’m very glad and proud to know that one of our local Organization are on the forefront of moving Islamic education and Muslims into the age of information technology.
Next week insh’Allah Salam Ottawa we will highlight some other Muslim tech products, and insh’Allah talk to some Muslim tech experts, and see what they have to say about all this. But for now, perhaps this tragedy that has befallen the Muslim tech workers of Nortelmay be a stumbling point for some diverse, ingenious, and innovative steps towards new ideas. Ideas that could change the quality of our lives, and the standard of living for all humanity to something a little bit better, insh’Allah.

Muslim World News:

Nasheed:

Yusuf Islam Raises Money For Palestinian Children [The Huffington Post]The United Nations said Yusuf Islam recorded a rendition of the George Harrison song “The Day the World Gets Round,” along with the German bassist and former Beatles collaborator Klaus Voorman.
All proceeds from the song will be donated to the U.N. agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and to the nonprofit group Save the Children to be directed to aiding Gaza residents.

Nasheed

Discussion

Celebrity Shoe
No, I’m not beating a dead horse to death with a stick. I’m beating a dead, lame duck to death with a shoe. Last week we shoed showed you the video where the Iraqi Journalist Muntadhir Al-Zaidi threw his shoes at the soon to retire president of the US.
Now, you probably have also heard about all the action that’s being taken to free this guy from custody, since many argue he only did what everyone in the US and the rest of the world wanted to do. We’ll here’s an idea… in solidarity with Muntadhir Al-Zaidi this facebook group has an interesting idea. They are encouraging people, who wished they could do what Al-Zaidi did,to send a pair of their old shoes to the basting duck. They even include the address. Unfortunately there may not be enough time to reach him in time for the holiday and his boot from office.

Poem
From one of our listeners and visitors of Slam Ottawa, [viewfromsaudi.blogspot.com] comes a beautiful poem about the journey of a lifetime.

Bags packed,
Delivered.
One for below my arm as I prepare for this journey,
Journeying to places of utmost significance,
for me, billions,
Symbols of Piety, Faith.
Inward journey,
Not sure what I’ll find —
But it must and should be sabr —
Patience.
Looking at your heart,
the mirror is one’s actions
in the crowds,
sweaty, agitated, rushed & euphoric
Desperate, grateful, hopeful
Scared.
Fearful.
Humble.
I am but a tiny speck and yet my faults loom large
as I prepare to journey
to the centre of the world
to face my heart
and make it shine.

Your Moment of Zen “Alhamdulillah for Islam!”

You probably have heard of last years top videos where the blonde “US Amaerican” Miss South Carolina 2007 “everywhere like such as and” made a mockery of herself on live television. Now, as Muslims we do not discriminate against any one group based on their ethnicity, religion, race, or the colour of their hair. So, I do not condone anyone who makes fun of blondes and generalizes that they are all “dumb”. It’s just not True. BUT! Recent evidence does show us that Miss South Carolina suffers from not blondeness, but form sever post Pageant Brain Fatigue Syndrome and it affects most women who participate in pageants. In a more recent case, it seems to have affected another Pageant participant; Miss Pakistan, Natasha Paracha. She recently, with all cool and calm, condoned the Mumbai Attacks in an interview with Anna Coren.

Now, just in case any other pageant participants may be reading this post, allow me to edumacate you please:

Poor Pakistan. Your self-proclaimed ambassador may be causing more tensions than easing them. She wants all Pakistanis to condone these attacks. It also seems like whatever it is that Natasha has may have infected Anna Coren, since she made no attempt to correct her guest, or at least inquire about her views and her call to Her Nation to condone these attacks. “On a Global Sphere”.

Community News

Gatineau Masjid

Gatineau Mosque is arranging a fundraising dinner for their upcoming installment. DO NOT miss this event which will take place on December 27 in Ottawa. Click on the flyer to see the details.
–Sh. Mokhtar Maghraoui in Ottawa
Presented by Living Islam Retreat and Zawiyah Productions in sponsorship with: Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), MSA Carleton, Muslim Youth of Ottawa (MYO) and Ottawa Muslim Association (OMA)
*** Please note location change for workshop below***
Workshop Registration: Click Here
Community Lecture: The Ultimate Journey: Searching for Happiness
When: Wednesday, December 24th 7:00 p.m.
Location: Travelodge Hotel & Convention Centre [directions] (admission fee: 5$)
–
Workshop: Ihsaan: “to worship Allah as though you see Him”
Thursday, December 25th 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Ukranian Banquet Hall
1000 Byron Avenue [directions | pdf Map] (admission fee: 5$, register: Click Here)
–
Jumu’ah Khutbah
Friday, December 26th 12:30 p.m.
Location: Ottawa Main Mosque
Contentment:
When less is more, and more is less.
“what has he found the one who loses You,
what has he lost, the one who finds You..”
–
Zawiyah Products will be available http://www.zawiyah.net
–
Lunch will be sold
Questions? contact them at: livingislamretreat@gmail.com
Got Fitnah-book? [facebook]
–Based in Troy, NY, Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui is one of the most
well-respected and renowned Muslim Scholars in North America.
Originally from Algeria, Shaykh Maghraoui earned his dual-doctorate in
Physics and Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University and also
extensively studied several social sciences, including psychology and
philosophy. Shaykh Maghraoui has a rare mastery of the Islamic
Sciences, particularly Tazkiya (Islamic spirituality), Usul Al-Fiqh,
Objectives of Sharee’ah, Fiqh and Science and Islam. He is the founder of Zawiyah Productions and Islamic Zawiyah Educational Trust, (http://www.zawiyah.net/). He is an active participant of interfaith
dialogue in the Capital district of New York, but is best known for
his enlightening and thought-provoking retreats and seminars that
empower Muslims on their spiritual quest.

211 service launched in Ottawa
211 is an easy-to-remember, free and confidential telephone service providing access to trained bilingual information and referral counselors who can direct the caller to a range of community organizations, social services and government agencies.

Sadaqa Food Bank:

You may have seen advertised on our show and on other local Muslim media the Sadaqa Food Bank that opened up not too long ago. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to discuss it much on previous shows, but it is incredibly important to realize the barakah or blessing that is in this Food Bank. Allah has provided us with a great opportunity to help our brothers and sisters right here at home and this opportunity should not be overlooked.

There was an article in the Muslim Link’s April 2008 issue on the Sadaqa Food Bank that I would like to share with you if you did not get a chance to read it yourself.

New Muslim food bank opens its doors
Big hopes for Ottawa’s first Muslim food bank
By Muhammed ZamanThe launch of a new halal food bank in Ottawa is giving local Muslim families the opportunity to nourish themselves with Islamically permissible pickings all year round, for the very first time.
The Sadaqa Food Bank, the first of its kind in the capital and a project of the Islamic Circle of North America’s relief fund, recently opened its doors in hope of satisfying the nutritional needs of an estimated three thousand local Muslims, of whom only about 200 are being supported by other Ottawa mosques and organizations. (more…)